ICE cannot use third-party contractors, like G4S Secure Solutions, to stop migrants from being detained, as per an agreement to settle a lawsuit that the ACLU and other groups of activists brought on behalf of an illegal immigrant who was in the custody of immigration authorities.
ICE might still utilize contractor's services for different things other than arresting migrants.
As per this settlement contract:
There is a restriction on the San Francisco Field Office and Los Angeles Field Office that will not allow Private Contractors, such as G4S personnel, to conduct civil immigration arrests at CDCR Facilities and County Jails in their respective areas of responsibility. While Private Contractors can be present during an arrest, only Immigration Officers are allowed to conduct the arrests. Once an arrest has been completed, an Immigration Officer might allow a Private Contractor detain the person.
Former director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Program, Vasudha Talla, has hailed the settlement as a “key legal victory.”
The settlement agreement reached last week with ICE is an aspect of the ACLU's long-term attempt to reduce the number of arrests of illegal immigrants. On September 21, 2021, the organization urged President Joe Biden to shut down all ICE detention facilities across the nation.
In response to that demand, the ACLU applauded its supporters for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) recent decision not to renew its ICE contract with a detention facility in Glades County, Florida.
Other detention facilities for immigrants are virtually empty, including the privately run California detention center located in Adelanto. ICE also signed an agreement for settlement that limits the capacity of its Farmville, Virginia, detention center to just a quarter of its capacity.
In a lawsuit filed in April 2021, lawyers representing the migrant claimed that ICE utilized G4S Secure Solutions to transfer thousands of immigrants in California to ICE officials, dating all the way back to 2016.
In contrast, G4S spokesperson Sherita Coffelt stated, “At no time was G4S involved in any arrests of undocumented immigrants or any other ICE detainees.”
ICE has not admitted to any violations of the terms of the settlement.
The settlement agreement demands ICE agents complete intensive training regarding the use of third-party contractors. This includes the training of new employees, semi-annually scheduled training, and periodic emails.
Additionally, the settlement requires ICE to pay more than $200,000 in legal fees and expenses for Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California
The case is Solano vs. ICE, No. 2:21-cv-01576-AB, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
